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A
good horror film is hard to make, as I have often stated.
With "Jason X" and "Halloween: Resurrection"
only months from release, it's nice to know that the horror film
is not dead. However, those films will probably suck.
"Session 9" does everything but suck. It is a
twisted, violent, and unbelievably original horror film that
made me jump on several occasions and sent chills down my spine
during several scenes.
The film tells the story of a crew assigned to get rid of the
asbestos at the condemned Danvers Lunatic Asylum. The
asylum is littered with a dark past and some extremely twisted
patients. The leader of the crew is Gordon, played by
Peter Mullan from "The Claim", another outstanding
film. Gordon is in need of the job and offers to finish a
two week job in one week, not pleasing his coworker and good
friend Phil (David Caruso). So, the men, joined by Hank
(Josh Lucas), Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), and Mike (Stephen
Gevedon), start working on the asbestos problem.
Unfortunately, that is the least of their worries. Gordon
starts hearing voices, and Hank eventually disappears.
Soon, horrifying things begin happening to the men, leading up
top an unforgettable and unexpected finish that is deserving of
much applause.
Director Brad Anderson weaves together a story that is just as
creepy as it is terrifying. The scariest moments are when
Mike is listening to old recordings of a doctor speaking with a
woman with multiple personalities--a small girl named Princess
and an evil boy named Simon. The voices over the recorder
are intensely heart stopping.
What makes this film better than "The Blair Witch
Project" and "The Last Broadcast" is that it
actually takes more time to develop the characters. We
understand why Phil hates Hank and we understand why Gordon was
driven to hit his wife. We start to care about the
characters, which makes us more surprised by the ending.
Brad Anderson has the makings of a fine director and this is an
outstanding film to start off with. It didn't receive much
attention when it released, but it certainly deserved it.
Maybe it will have a long lasting shelf life on video and become
one of those 'essential' Halloween flicks. Either way,
"Session 9" delivers in a big way and I am proud to
say this is one of the most original horror films I have seen in
years.
-- Billy
Ray ( 4 out of 4 pops )
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